Today, Sharon has officially been diagnosed with moderate COPD, about which I have had strong suspicions about, for over a month. The GP has said she needs to have the Pneumococcal vaccine, of course, especially with working in a nursing home. Sharon then asks the receptionist to make an appointment to see the nurse for it. In very rude reply, she was told "No, it was only available to those that have had their spleen removed and if she had her spleen removed, she would know about it".
Not happy about it, she phoned the parent practice, she was told that the vaccine is in short supply, due to Brexit? and apologised for the other receptionist's rudeness. She is now on the list to be contacted when the vaccine is back in stock. A friend of mine is also having problems with obtaining his blood pressure tablets. Just a heads up, all is not well with the medicine supply chain presently, I hope it is just a blip.
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2greys
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My wife had the same problem a few years ago. From my understanding nothing to do with britex. Basically supply is commissioned by the health service based on estimated need for the population. Sometimes they get it wrong and a shortage occurs until more is manufactured. No shortage of blood pressure medication here but there seems a shortage of codeine based products in my area.
No, I did not think it is anything thing to do with brexit. There does seem to be a problem with the supply of meds, possibly short staffing or sickness at various warehouses and distribution points within the UK. Either way, not really good enough and needs addressing.
From talking to my daughter who is training to be a pharmacist. Her suppliers can get codeine but my own chemists suppliers cannot. I think you may be right this is a distribution issue as different companies will only use their contracted suppliers. In the current situation then I believe that the Government must take action to ensure the supply. Sadly my daughter stated that following my great paracetamol rush post her ability to order any over the counter medications is becoming harder daily.
Sorry to hear that. there has been random shortages of various meds for some time, i Sharons will hopefully soon be sorted . It is not good enough that it keeps happening . Management at fault again?
I looked at the Boots website.....there is some information about private cost and assessment . I think the vaccine is different from the one the NHS use though .
I don't know if this will help you, but it's worth a try. The majority of U.S. pharmacies have little minute clinics for immunizations and smaller maladies....many people use them for all the pneumococcal vaccines and even shingles vaccines.
Hope Sharon gets her pneumonia vaccine!! There are only the two made in the whole world. 🌷🌱
Sharon is going to be having words with the nurses where she works, she thinks that they may be able to pull a few strings. After all it would be to their benefit, losing a senior carer for weeks whilst there is an acute staff shortage would not be very good for the nursing home. Pneumonia is quite a common infection in the nursing home of 40 elderly and frail residents.
I will do that. I have been quietly nagging her, with my suspicions, to have a spirometry for a year, which she finally went for one last month. She was given a "combination inhaler" (Relvar Ellipta), at which point, deep down I knew my suspicion was correct. She had another test Tuesday and confirmed yesterday as moderate. Fortunately, she managed, finally, to quit smoking in Nov. I wish it had been sooner, but, better late than never. I now have to let that news sink in, then my first job will be to teach her how to breath correctly, which is totally wrong at the moment.
I agree with Breathing wrongly, I learnt how to do Breathing exercises at The P.Rehab. maybe start now to Join as there is always a long wait for PR. I do my Breathing Exercises every day umpteen times a Day, even when on the Loo, I also have my Ventolin in every room. Sharon has stopped Smoking, Great. so things will slot into place now with your Expert Advice. My Very Best Wishes to you Both. XXX C.
2 greys is it possible for you to tell us how to breathe correctly . Just finished re hab where breathing was explained that shoulder muscles were also involved but i dont remember being given any specific technique. I had waited a year on list only to find 50% did not turn up after first meeting, we were 6 not the 12 planned. A waste of the staff time.
I have a little time before the next work order arrives in the email, so here goes. I think the best way to do this is with a series of you tube videos along with my own comments, I have not found one single YouTube video that comprehensively encompasses just what is the best way to breathe, for us as C.O.P.D. sufferers. I am not really a teacher just a sufferer who has made it my business to understand how to cope to the best of my ability.
The first video explains about bad breathing very well and why/how it comes about.
The second video also explains about bad breathing and the onset of the flight or fight response because of it. Fight or fight response is also when anxiety and panic attacks can start. It goes on to explain diaphragmatic breathing. The end of the video with the timing of breathing is really for healthy people and not valid for us. We need to slow our breathing down.
Posture. Whilst we are at this stage I have a few good little tips to avoid vertical, or shoulder breathing. In the sitting position, sitting with a straight back, legs slightly apart, feet on the floor. Place your hands on your thighs with the palms facing up, this helps with lowering and relaxing your shoulders. tacking the weight of your arms off the shoulders.
When actually recovering your breath from heavy exertion. Then with your legs slightly apart, to allow gravity to help move your stomach out, lean forward a little and place your forearms, near the elbows, on your thighs with your hands cupped and on the out breath blow, pursed lip, into your cupped hands.
If you are out walking and need to recover your breathing, then find somewhere to lean back on a wall ,fence or even a lamppost and then put your thumbs into your pockets or waistband to support the weight of your arms and relax those shoulders.
Using your shoulder muscles to breathe, will, of course, use additional oxygen, energy and ultimately create fatigue with little advantage to oxygen intake i.e. use up more oxygen than any extra oxygen than can be obtained by doing it. It will actually make things worse.
During, breathing exercises, or an anxiety attack then I imagine being on a beach, a shingle or pebble beach. The in breath is as wave crashes onto the shore with the out breath being the sound of the sea slowly draining back through all the pebbles with that fizzing sound. Thus creating a relaxed and calm feeling.
In my opinion this video does not really go far enough. Let me explain, when you think that you have got to the end the out breath, you haven't. Try this for yourself, tear of a five mm strip tissue and separate into just a single ply, ie.as thin as possible. Then look in a mirror, hold the strip up to your mouth and gently blow out you will see it move away. When you think you have emptied your lungs, keep trying to blow out and squeezing, you will see the tissue is still moved away from your mouth, not a lot, but it will still be being blown away for a second or so.
So breath in for say the count of four breath out for the count of six preferably eight and keep going for another count of one or two. That will then achieve the best possible gas exchange.
I have probably missed a few things out, so forgive me, I hope that it is not too technical understand either.
Thank you so much those TED lectures are good really hit home i think we had some of that but obviously not enough in rehab but my memory works best on the written word especially if i write myself so will combine yours with the TED an d practise.
I was told the same - Got a feeling they are keeping Pneumonia jabs in reserve? We will see shortage of medicines, but advice is keep hydrated, eat as well as you can, avoid crowds if possible and sing happy birthday a lot! Good luck!
I had mine 15 years ago when it was a 10 yr vaccine not one for life, but when I had pneumonia in 2012 was told to ensure I got a booster when the time came.
Well I only managed that a couple of weeks ago ~ 5 years late!!
Each year the practice nurse would say, like to Sharon, I didn’t fit the criteria, as had Spleen and both Kidneys and as the vaccine hadn’t changed would be pointless. Btw the criteria changed slightly a couple of times.
This year having been so poorly again I mentioned it to my doctor during conversation about flu jabs, shingles etc, and he said leave it with him.
Two days later I had my injection and yes now the 23 strain, lifetime cover.
At 71 I think that will do me just fine.
The nurse told me that Docs can insist, but NHS guidance is to only have the one,lifetime cover, not a booster after 10 years.
Must say whatever their reasoning I’m relieved to feel reasonably protected again, as my last bout of pneumonia the strain wasn’t apparently even on the list of 23 anyway.
Good luck and hope Sharon gets hers sorted soon.
Have a lovely day. Sunshine looks great outside here in Kent.
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